Angelic || Self Para
They say the insane can see the beauty in the chaos.
But it wasn't like that here, in this barren field with a single spring. Here she stepped with grace, like she were floating in air. Her heart was filled with a strange sense of joy, as if she's never seen a dreary day in her life. She laughed freely, not having to pretend the happiness behind it. It was bliss.
There was no more scorn, no anguish left for her to remember. It was all gone, wiped from her memory and reality. And, truthfully, Memory couldn't be happier. There was no need to worry in this beautiful place, as there was no danger. Nothing cruel was hidden in the tall grass she walked in, and nothing lurked at the bottom of the spring.
Once there at the spring, you could see the many flowers that encased it. They all hung perfectly still, made as if from stone. They swayed lazily, though, when a summer breeze pushed through them, threatening to take their petals with it. But they held strong, their roots to home to powerful to overtake. Some, however, must have grown weak, seeking a change in their daily routines; various petals littered the water of the pool.
Memory eased herself onto the soft turf, pulling herself to the edge. Her dark hair framed her face as she leaned forward. The water before her was perfectly clear, no dirt or filth blemished the clarity. You could see right down to the very bottom, where smooth rocks lay perfectly together. The innocence of it all almost worried the girl, scared that if she touched it, it would all shatter away at her fingertips.
The curiosity finally came to be too much to bare, the temptation too large to resist. Carefully she brought her foot out, slowly dipping into the cold waters. It broke away easily, quickly coming back together to gather around its intruder.
Memory held her breath as the seconds ticked by, waiting for the picture to melt away and the reality to sink in once more. But this never happened, nothing moved, and nothing changed.
A smile beginning to creep into her features, Memory pushed herself off her perch and dove into the cold spring. The frigid water swirled her hair around her, the cold washing over her with a sense of refreshment. She nearly broke into a fit of laughter at just how perfect it all was.
Grinning broadly she turned and started her way through the vast space, paddling herself to the bottom. Once there she settled herself onto the rocks, starring up at this surface far ahead, watching the sunlight dance across the breaking waves.
If there was such a thing as Heaven for Memory Sauverterre, this would be it.
She sat for what seemed like hours at the bottom of the abyss, just starring back at the surface. There was no dire need to hurry, no urgency filling her as if she needed to leave. There was only positive thoughts filling her mind, no room for doubt or worry to worm its way in. This was Memory's home, this she was sure of.
That is until a voice arose perpetual itching in her ears.
"Memory, mi princesa, come home to me. I miss you, please. I love you," as the words were repeated relentlessly to her, Memory found that she knew the voice. The familiarity was buried somewhere, but she couldn't place it. She new she had heard it before, but wasn't quite sure when and where she had. It was unnerving.
While she was busying herself with her own thoughts, Memory didn't notice how she was floating back to the top, not until she was halfway there. The realization dawned on her with terrified scream, her limbs thrashing out to try and pull herself back down to the bottom. But it was of no use, she kept rising to the surface, no matter how hard she fought back. All she could do was lie there, shrieking in horror as she broke the surface into the light.
Memory bolted forwards, sucking in a sharp breath before she screamed. It didn't take long though, until she was slammed back onto a metal table. Her limbs jerked about, trying to fight themselves up, but they hardly moved. Restraints bound her wrists and ankles to the metal slab she lied on.
Panic surged through her as she looked around, her eyes wide with sheer terror. The blinding light she had thought was the sun was only a ceiling light. The noises she thought was only the wind turned out to be the chatter of the nurses and doctors around her, now yelling from her sudden movements. She was back in Hell.
"Get me an oxygen mask!"
"What does her heart monitor say?"
"Someone get me laughing gas!"
"She's in dire need of water, Mrs. Cumberla-"
"No!"
This one word silenced the voices that had been yelling only seconds before. No one moved, no one said a word. They stood motionless, confusion hovering around them. Perhaps it wasn't the actual word itself, but who's mouth it had come from.
The doctor who stood near Memory's head turned to face the woman in the doorway, his eyebrows pulling together in wonderment.
"But April, she needs water this instance. If she doesn't get it, we might loose her for good-"
"I said no, doctor," April said, her voice stern and her eyes hard. She ignored the exasperated look the doctor threw at her, standing firm to her decision.
"April. Be realistic here. She hasn't had water in weeks, she's already proven she can last longer than any regular human, even mutant," he firmly stated, his eyes narrowing at her. They held their stare for what seemed forever, completely oblivious to Memory's hopeless cries, her eyes welling with tears.
Finally it seemed that April cracked, her head nodding once in approval. "Fine." As soon as the word left her mouth, she turned briskly and headed out of the crowding room. At her departure the room bustled with activity once more, nurses scrambling to get the supplies that were needed.
Memory barely even noticed the cold bottle being pressed to her cracked lips, chilling water flowing from it to her hoarse throat. Relief was almost instantaneous, her eyelids closing as the pain ebbed away. She drank and drank until the bottle was removed, leaving her gasping and coughing.
She lied motionless on the cool metal, her energy leaving her with each passing second. It wasn't long until she drifted into a restless sleep.
Her Heaven never returned to her.